Study on Ionizing Radiation Induced Bystander Effects

Key words: 
• bystander effect /
• ionizing radiation /
• reactive oxygen species /
• cellular communication

Abstract: Recent studies have indicated that biological effects, such as chromosomal aberration, gene mutation and cell death and so on, can be induced in cells that are not traversed by radiation directly. This phenomenon has been termed as bystander effects. In this paper, a few representative studies were reported and the possible mechanisms underlying the bystander effects were summarized. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by ionizing radiation, cellular communication and some factors play important roles. Besides, the expression extent of bystander effects depended on radiation dose and quality were discussed. Bystander effects suggest that potential health risks associated with radiation exposure may be greater than those of original thought and this makes ultimate impact on human radiation risk assessment.